Crib Sleeping

Well, we finally did it. After too many nights of restless sleep with a tossing, turning and flailing baby, we decided Ryan may be ready for his crib. On Wednesday we had Ryan take all his daytime naps in the crib and he actually did very well! When I put him down at night, he slept from 8-10pm straight through and then I fed him when he woke at 10 and he went right back to sleep (in his crib). I thought–this is awesome! Easy as taking candy from a baby!

Did you know that taking candy from a baby actually ISN’T easy? (who came up with that saying anyway?!) Well putting Ryan in his crib turned out to not be so easy either. Starting at about 11pm, he decided to wake up every 30 minutes until morning. For real. Steve took the first shift until 2am and basically just stayed awake the whole time. Then we switched and I was on shift from 2-6am.

I slept on the floor in Ryan’s room. Yep, the wooden floor. But really, the wood wasn’t so bad…. because I was up on my feet most of the night anyway. I may have gotten one 40-minute stretch of sleep in there though. Ahh well, there’s always coffee and I’m sure the next night will be better….

Wrong. Last night went pretty much the same, but was maybe a LITTLE better. Steve and I continued with our separate shifts and I again slept on the floor. At some point I nursed Ryan lying down with me on the floor and we both fell asleep (thank god). But I woke up and put him back in his crib…

It’s terrible. And not because he sucks at it and we’re still not getting any sleep, but because I sooo miss my cuddle bug. The first night I just laid in bed forever and couldn’t fall asleep because I was listening for noises and because it was weird to not have his warm little body next to me. Plus, I feel bad. When Ryan wakes up crying in his crib, he falls back to sleep as soon as I pick him up–he just goes limp in my arms. So all he needs is his mama… a little bit of comfort… and we’re putting him in his crib alone 🙁 So maybe he wasn’t ready to be a big boy???

And then why are we doing this?? My hubby is pretty adamant about the fact that Ryan’s ready and is reminding me how little sleep I got when we were co-sleeping because Ryan was SO restless. Plus, when Ryan is really tired, he goes to sleep just fine in his crib and seems to really enjoy his naps in there. We’re trying it again tonight… he’s actually asleep in there right now and I’m sure I’ll join him in his room on the floor in awhile.

This is definitely harder on mama than it is on Ryan! He still gets cuddled and rocked to sleep (and nursed if needed), so he’s managing quite well, haha. Here’s to hoping for longer stretches of sleep…. and to really good, strong cups of coffee 😉

4 comments to Crib Sleeping

  • Well, if you want to keep trying, maybe you could put a yoga mat or something on the floor so you can at least be more comfortable? Have you read the No Cry Sleep Solution? I have heard lots of good things about the book. Maybe there are some ideas about how to make this easier?

    [Reply]

    babydickey Reply:

    I haven’t read that book, but have heard about it… we read “The Good Night, Sleep Tight” book and that’s pretty much what we’re basing this on. We’re making sure we don’t ever let him cry it out–but are trying not to pick him up from his crib every time he wakes up crying (unless he needs to nurse). We put our hands on him and quietly talk to him so he knows we’re there… a couple times of putting the paci back in his mouth and he usually falls back asleep. It’s the waking up so often that we need to fix.

    And actually… at least an hour ago I finally swaddled him because he kept waking up… and he hasn’t been up since!! (KNOCK ON WOOD!) 🙂

    Thanks for the suggestion – we may check out that book next. And a yoga mat would probably help, haha.

    [Reply]

  • Chanda @ Eco-Cheap Mom

    The No Cry Sleep Solution was very helpful to us. My baby (19 months) sleeps in his crib, but his sister (4 years) sleeps with us. She slept in her bed until she was 2.5 but began coming to our bed in the middle of night. Instead of risking her waking the baby we just let her sleep with us. It’s going to be a hard habit to break!

    Good luck! Hope you get some sleep tonight!

    [Reply]

  • It will get easier. Probably in a week or two. I know that seems like forever, but once it happens you will be grateful for the sleep you’re getting. Do you think he’s big enough to sleep on his tummy? That really helped Lexi to feel more secure, and she sleeps a lot better on her tummy.

    [Reply]

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